At the heart of our mission
at “Knitting For All” is
the belief that knitting
really is for everyone.
R E T R E AT TO T H E
S C O T T I S H C O U N T RY S I D E
by Kerry Kimber, Founder & Director of Knitting For All
Imagine escaping the daily routine to indulge in being
creative all day… Wouldn’t it be lovely if you could give
your full attention to learning new skills in the company
of friendly, like-minded people? And what if someone
else took care of all the cooking and looked after you for
a while? You’ll find all this, plus a stunning location at
Gartmore House, set amidst the stunning Scottish scenery
of Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park. This
friendly 18th Century country house offers a variety of
activity retreat holidays including a popular Knitting and
Crochet retreat run by Samira Hill from Knitting For All.
Samira has been the resident Knitting For All tutor at
Gartmore House for several years and brings with her a
wealth of expertise and experience, not to mention a fine
selection of patterns, projects and skills for guests to enjoy.
While some folk come wanting to improve upon a basic
knowledge of knitting and crochet, many others want to
challenge themselves by learning an advanced skill they
haven’t tried before.
Marion Kelly from Fife has attended Samira’s Gartmore
House retreats three times, and loves having the peace and
quiet to focus on learning.
“I personally mastered Entrelac, which I have always shied
away from, and since then have made a child’s jacket, a lace
weight pattern and an entrelac scarf. I have made seamless
socks using Magic Loop with great success. I am going to
try Brioche knitting next time I come. It is wonderful, it’s
like ‘home from home’. We arrive, put cases in our rooms,
get out our work bags and get the ‘Baffies’ on (slippers) -
which never come off for the whole retreat. They provide
breakfast, lunch and dinner, and there is also a tea trolley
of cakes which comes to us every day. This is heaven…”
Indeed, the delicious home-cooked food (all craft breaks
are offered on a full board basis) and comfortable lodgings
with beautiful views, make this the perfect place for
restorative relaxation.
Morag Taylor was surprised and delighted to receive the
gift of a knitting and crochet retreat from her family at
Christmas. She found it was the perfect opportunity to
spend time being creative, something she finds hard to
prioritise at home where she cares for her mother who
has mild dementia.
The team at Gartmore House always enjoy the company
of their knitting guests and observe that there’s something
special about the companionship of knitting together
in a group. The easy, relaxed conversation and laughter
could be a result of the calming, rhythmic nature of
knitting that puts people at ease, or maybe it’s the
delightful people attending! Either way, Nikki Newton
from Gartmore House commented, “The atmosphere
on Samira’s Knitting and Crochet courses is always so
relaxed, warm and friendly, with lots of giggles, chat
and ‘banter’. As the holidays attract a range of different
levels and experience, there’s lots of ‘blether’ (talk) about
different projects, patterns and material – it’s so nice to see
everyone interested in each other’s work. Many of our
guests return to Gartmore House time and time again,
so it’s lovely to welcome back familiar faces.”
KNITTING FOR ALL
“Samira, our tutor, is a lovely, kind and gentle person
with good teaching skills. She also has the patience of a
saint! She taught me to crochet very quickly despite me
being left handed and having found it difficult before. I
have already booked another 5 day course in April 2020
and I am looking forward to it very much”.
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Newsletter October
October 2019
2019 | Autumn
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Winter
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